Live Poll: Dusting Off Celluloid 1940s: Which old movie would you like to see? (Requesting Suggestions/"Poll Board Recommendations" Poll))

'Remember back in the good ol' poll board days when many of us made "poll board recommendation" polls? I'm hoping to put one of those together as a part-two of one I made back then. I'd really appreciated nominations for this poll.

The poll description is as follows: These are movies, released in the 1940s, widely considered to be one of the best decades in cinema, recommended by poll authors and commentators. Which of these relatively little-known but highly recommended films, all released during the 1940, would you most like to see (again or for the first time)?

* Please nominate a film released in the 1940s that you would recommend and that has less than 20,000 votes and that either has at least a 7.0 rating or is critically acclaimed.* If you'd like to suggest a second film, that would be great; in the case that not enough poll boarders contribute a recommendation, I will use second suggestions as well.* Anyone who has commented at least ten times on either the GS poll discussion pages or the old poll board is invited to suggest a film.* Please include a brief comment related to why you recommend the film or some little piece of info about the film.

Thanks, Dibby, for the link. I can't add it to the original post ('not a "champion" on GS so can't edit) but hopefully people will think to use the search or see your link if they need to or want other ideas. Thanks again.

Thank you, very much, Dan! Unfortunately, the link is for a search that only includes 1940 and not the whole decade. Hopefully people will notice that and re-do the search. That was very nice of you, though. I appreciate the help.

No, I wouldn't consider it to be little-known but it's a collaborative list and it meets the guidelines. Also, I'm not sure I trust myself as a barometer of what's well known or not because -- well, you know, like you, I've seen a lot of films and prefer movies that tend to be outside the mainstream, in terms of the box-office and distribution. For instance, last night I was out playing team trivia with some really cool and very smart people and someone asked me about my favorite films. I mentioned three that I don't think of as that obscure or anything but they all just looked at me with blank faces, so I mentioned one or two others that I was sure they'd know but nothing registered. I had a lot of fun but it also really made me appreciate you and all of my comrades here who not only know the films I mention but often bring my attention to movies I had not known about before.

Back to 'Meet Me in St. Louis,' it did, as you said, spawned a really well known song but there are songs that become a lot more well known than their parent movies. Still, yes, I consider it pretty well known -- and it does have several polls associated with it -- but perhaps very little of the cinema from that era is well known and since it meets the criteria, I think it's fine. Even if people have heard of it, perhaps they haven't seen it and it will remind some to watch it. Actually, my recommendation might not be little-known, either. Perhaps I should have said under 15,000 or even 10,000 votes, but then it becomes difficult to get recommendations. The list overall, even as is with only twelve suggestions so far, would be a great resource for many, I think, or at least I hope so.

I can always tell when I'm tired when I write a novel in response, lol. Sorry for the verbosity but thank you for the discussion and for your recommendation. Feel free to suggest others if you want. : )

and yours is so well put in the process...and i am all too familiar with those 'blank stares' when you mention movies or music that no one has a clue what you're talking about (even when you yourself think it's so obvious)...

and i understand your stand with 'meet me in st. louis'...but it's no 'coffee and cigarettes' or 'dinner rush', i can tell you that much...(blank stare allowed)...

Jim Jarmusch's 'Coffee and Cigarettes?' I love that film!! I never saw 'Dinner Rush' but it's on my "to see" list and the title reminded me of a film of which I'm really fond, called 'Big Night' (1996). Have you seen it? I know it's quite different from 'Dinner Rush,' which I really have to see, but the titles and settings sound similar. I actually haven't seen it in quite a while but I still have a real warmth about that film.

ElMo started a poll about little known gems that didn't have an era restriction like mine does. I'll have to look for that one again. Oh, did I tell you about this one, that was run a few years ago? I was wondering what you'd think of this list... http://www.imdb.com/poll/pUnn7lvVMY4/?ref_=tt_po_q1

Oh, and I love "peace fruit," lol. "Rubyfruit" is my cat's first name, although I just call her "Ruby;" I got "Rubyfruit" from a book that I read when I was about eighteen. I don't remember much about the book except that the protagonist has a lot of spunk, and that's my cat -- spunk. My real name is Sara, although I really like my nickname around here (Ruby.) Of course, if you ask D.C., my nickname is "Suzy," lol.

i remember that poll by elmo...it was an interesting list...at the time, i remember mentioning 'my first mister' and 'under milk wood' as my two possible choices, finally landing on 'milk wood'...

but yes...to answer your question, i have seen 'the big night' several times and i love it...stanley tucci and tony shaloub are brilliant in it, and the writing is so honest...

i think you'll enjoy 'dinner rush'...it's a bit darker than big night, but in the same vein...

and yes...i concur...'coffee and cigarettes' is indeed worthy of your praise...

i am curious what book it was that you got 'rubyfruit' from...i think that's a great way to have named your cat...i used to be such a veracious reader...in fact, i recently was part of a book club where they asked each of us to bring in our favorite book...i still had my favorite paperback from the 60's...it was george orwell's '1984'...that book, along with orwell's 'animal farm', made such an impact on my life...the line "all animals are equal...but some are more equal than others"...it has resonated more than orwell could have ever imagined...

Thanks, ElMo! I'll do that. Did I say I like your review? Oh, I guess I did but I'll say it again: well written, convincing, and insightful. 'Makes me want to watch 'Shoeshine' again; I hope it comes on one of my movie channels sometime soon.

My first pick: A little known film-noir gem called Gaslight (1944). Been waiting to see this one for a while as it boasts an impressive leading cast in Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotton and the same director who churned out classics like My Fair Lady, The Philadelphia Story and A Star is born, George Cukor.

My second pick: One that I'm surprised even qualifies for the list based on the low vote count, Scarlet Street (1945). This one starring noir regular Edward G. Robinson and the beautiful Joan Bennett and directed by Fritz Lang, a director who many coined to have pioneered the film-noir genre with his dark, German expressionist style with films like M (1931).

I wouldn't call Gaslight a little know gem, it's a Best Picture nominee that even inspired an expression still used today, how many classics achieved that? I remember I loved the film and the character of Boyer was so despicable I wanted to throw myself in the screen and punch his face, I really hated, hated, hated that guy. That said, i'm not sure I enjoyed Cukor's other works, My Fair Lady and ThePhiladelphia Story especially.

I also enjoyed Scarlett Street until I saw the original film, La Chienne by Jean Renoir, by comparison, there was a bit too much pathos on Edward G. Robinson while the original sucker (Michel Simon) was a more complex character. Anyway, I highly recommend you Renoir's early classics.

Ah, thanks, Kyle: I'm glad it added a bit of pleasant nostalgia to your day. i love Gaslight, as well. That probably would have been my second choice after my first pick. I also added your second choice as it doesn't seem 35 people will nominate a film and, of course, your comments, as well. : )

Ditte is a female counterpart to Pelle the Conqueror by the same author. The film is a humanist depiction of poverty and a young woman's struggle at the bottom of society. It was released around Europe and in America, but frequently censored.

'Both good films. I added Red River. I was surprised to see that Bicycle Theives has that many votes; I'm glad but surprised. Feel free to add a comment whenever convenient. I will definitely contribute to your poll. Thanks for letting me know.

My choice is Johnny Belinda (1948) An Oscar nominated film that won the Best Actress Award for Jane Wyman, and also has a superb acting by Charles Bickford. It is a very interesting drama about a deaf/mute girls suffering a rape which complicates her education, while the guilty remains free and unknown.

Thanks, Dibby! 'Good one, I've heard, that I've never seen. It's weird how even a movie with Oscar nominations can not get much attention years later. I don't know how many countries get Turner Classic Movies, but I'm really glad to have it in the States or my exposure to old films would be so very limited.

Hi Laiath, thank you for your comment. Yes, my plan is to take it, decade by decade, up through the 70's, probably, so yes, you'll definitely be able to contribute and I look forward to your suggestion(s)!

I hope that you're feeling at home around here. You seem like a great new addition to our crew. :)

I should comb through my "seen" list on my laptop (what I've rated on IMDb is only a fraction of my real list -- it's taking me forever to get them all on here) and see if any of them that I can't think of off the top of my head qualify and then the list would be at 15, which is one of those numbers that, though completely arbitrary, make human beings feel comfortable. 'Amazing the little pieces of trivia I remember from my anthropology classes, lol.

Description for Meet Me in St. LouisFilm
provides a nostalgic view of the beginning of the Twentieth Century in the
heartland of America. It also commemorates the 1904 World Fair and Olympics held
in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri. Film also prominently displays Judy
Garland’s vocal and acting talent.